The Challenger Disaster Tells the Story of the Man Who Tried to Stop It
When the long-delayed tenth flight of Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight on Jan. 28, 1986, all seven crew members were killed.
One engineer in Utah desperately wanted to save the lives of these seven national heroes. He failed. You can see his story today on Amazon.
On the 35th anniversary of the disaster, a directors cut of the 2019 film, The Challenger Disaster, is available on Amazon. The film is based on the true story of that engineer and his colleagues in an intense race against the clock the night before the Challenger’s final launch. All characters in the film have been fictionalized, including names, but the story is based on the true story — the engineer was convinced the O-ring seals would fail and endanger everyone on board. His desperate race against the clock to call off the billion dollar Challenger launch hadn’t been explored in film before The Challenger Disaster.
Dean Cain, a veteran of the screen with too many roles to list, but possibly most remembered as Superman from his 90s series, plays Larry Arnold, the attorney representing the engineer in the aftermath of the disaster.
“I play a lawyer who tries to keep things ‘under wraps.’ I encourage the brave ‘whistleblowers’ to keep their concerns quiet for the sake of the Space Program,” Cain says. “Not the most ethical guy on the planet, but he’s fighting to keep the Space Program going, and to him, it’s worth covering up the nasty details for the ‘greater good.’ He’s also doing his best to represent his client, regardless of the moral questions involved.”
Nathan VonMinden, the film’s screenwriter and director, who has a degree in Aerospace Engineering, researched the story for eight years. His screenplay is based primarily on information found in public records, in the Report of the PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident. Linear and fast-paced, The Challenger Disaster is a behind-the-scenes story of a defining American moment that marks time for anyone who lived through it.
“I really appreciated Dean’s intensity on set. He really makes you want to get up and go. As a director, some days you have to fire everyone up to get the team rolling in a direction together, but when Dean is on set, it’s like a shot of adrenaline,” VonMinden says. “When his character has to crank things up, its electric. We do a shot with Dean where it’s one long take, and I remember the discussion of whether or not we should cut. When you see a performance like that, you don’t dare cut away.”
“The Challenger Disaster is a thoughtful, compelling film which goes behind the tragic headlines to explore the people and the catastrophic and devastating decisions that led to that dreadful day in our nation’s history,” Cain continues. “I’m happy to be involved in such a monumental film about a real, historical event that I witnessed as a young man.”
Football legend, Les Miles, plays Kennedy Space Center employee Nelson in the film. Miles is well-known for his 25 years of coaching head football, most notably as the head coach at LSU from 2005-2016, guiding them to two SEC titles and the 2007 BCS National Championship.
“I knew Les as a man of strong leadership and high intellect, so when we thought of the roles in those terms, he was easy to cast in the film. He brings a part of himself to a role that is critical to the film,” Von Minden continues. “His performance was strong and intense, and having him on set was a treat. I learned a lot from him about leadership and we talked a lot about family in the down times. I hope Les gets many more opportunities between championships.”
Actor, filmmaker and TV host Cameron Arnett, stars as Bill, an engineer, in the film. Arnett is most recently known for his role as Dr. Furst in I Still Believe, the true-life story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp, starring K.J. Apa.
“Cameron Arnett was the first person we cast in the film,” says VonMinden. “He had one of those auditions where you don’t even take any more after that. He had the gig after about 10 seconds.”
“From the very beginning, everything, everyone just fit like puzzle pieces, we knew we had something special, and the end result shows,” Arnett says. “This is the coming together of a good story, an in sync ensemble and an excellent crew. I’ll be a part of that any day.”
The Challenger Disaster, produced by Erika Waldorf, K.B. Battaglini, Jose Quinones, Glenn Gordon, and Meleice VonMinden, is now available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B08TLS8L3V/ref=share_ios_movie. You can watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/pyTuH5bnOao.
Watching the launch. The Challenger Disaster
